Dharamshala: Himachal Pradesh has passed a legislation banning forced religious conversions. The Congress-led government in the state passed the legislation during its four-day winter session held at the newly constructed Vidhan Sabha (State Legislature) in Dharamshala on Friday.
Kaul Singh, Law Minister, Himachal Pradesh, said, that "according to the bill if someone was forced to change his religion without his consent then he could come back to his own religion within a month�. Under the bill, persons who had forced or induced someone to change his/her religion then he/she would liable for punishment, he said. The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also welcomed the Bill.
In the recent months, five states ruled by BJP or its allies have introduced or strengthened anti-conversion laws, which they say will protect India’s religious identity and foster communal harmony. But this is the first time such a law has been passed in a government ruled by Congress Party, which has been critical of such laws in BJP-ruled states.
Under some of the new laws, anyone planning to leave the Hindu fold must obtain certificates from officials and affidavits from courts saying they were converting out of free will and not by inducements. For decades, conversion has been a sensitive issue in India, with right-wing Hindus accusing Christian missionaries in particular of converting poor Hindus with inducements such as free schooling and health care.
But Christians, who have long advocated for the rights of Dalits, say those who switch their faith do so to escape the oppressive caste system amongst Hindus. Minority groups also say Hindu hardliners polarize voters on religious lines to gain political mileage.
Millions of low-caste Hindus switch their faith to escape the 3,000-year-old rigid caste system dominated by the once-priestly Brahmin class. Hindu scriptures divide people into Brahmin priests, warriors, farmers and labourers, while the rest are beyond definition � called "Dalits". The dalits, who constitute over 16 per cent of India’s 1.1 billion population, are considered "untouchables", and often face discrimination, performing the most menial and degrading jobs.
The caste system still persists in villages, despite the country’s spectacular economic success and exposure to Western culture. India’s constitution also forbids caste discrimination. Hindus form 80 per cent of secular India’s billion-plus population, while Muslims account for 13 per cent, Christians less than three per cent and religious minorities such as Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis make up the rest.
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